The average salary in the United States is $65,002 per year (median, 2024). This comprehensive statistics page covers 825 occupations across all 50 states, based on official Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Below you'll find the highest paying jobs, a state-by-state salary heatmap, and detailed breakdowns by industry.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 | Last updated: 2026-04-02
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown by state.
| # | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurse Anesthetists | $210,398 | $219,889 | 46,120 |
| 2 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $210,099 | $309,526 | 32,220 |
| 3 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $206,468 | $290,106 | 19,370 |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physicians | $205,639 | $239,799 | 111,590 |
| 5 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $205,390 | $289,652 | 3,100 |
| 6 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $205,372 | $255,492 | 66,300 |
| 7 | Physicians, Pathologists | $201,351 | $269,265 | 10,110 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | $198,089 | $266,820 | 310,070 |
| 9 | Surgeons, All Other | $196,922 | $362,152 | 20,280 |
| 10 | Anesthesiologists | $195,833 | $325,183 | 25,620 |
| 11 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $193,225 | $212,745 | 3,890 |
| 12 | Pediatricians, General | $192,720 | $208,779 | 33,360 |
| 13 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $188,640 | $299,210 | 10,230 |
| 14 | Psychiatrists | $179,113 | $236,509 | 24,570 |
| 15 | Neurologists | $173,648 | $290,067 | 8,580 |
| 16 | Chief Executives | $173,235 | $251,314 | 169,020 |
| 17 | Dermatologists | $171,955 | $348,680 | 11,070 |
| 18 | Dentists, General | $168,417 | $187,510 | 121,660 |
| 19 | Podiatrists | $156,589 | $169,534 | 8,580 |
| 20 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $154,625 | $161,390 | 206,110 |
| 21 | Orthodontists | $152,744 | $234,845 | 3,960 |
| 22 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $152,535 | $161,160 | 592,620 |
| 23 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $147,322 | $185,036 | 69,690 |
| 24 | Physicists | $142,089 | $150,630 | 17,800 |
| 25 | Cardiologists | $141,410 | $410,647 | 14,480 |
| 26 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $139,131 | $136,441 | 20,970 |
| 27 | Financial Managers | $138,788 | $157,193 | 787,360 |
| 28 | Pharmacists | $136,337 | $133,102 | 331,700 |
| 29 | Marketing Managers | $135,718 | $149,445 | 361,570 |
| 30 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $135,422 | $372,179 | 13,440 |
| 31 | Radiologists | $133,704 | $319,777 | 25,570 |
| 32 | Sales Managers | $132,268 | $149,871 | 572,710 |
| 33 | Medical Dosimetrists | $130,207 | $133,426 | 2,860 |
| 34 | Optometrists | $129,589 | $136,503 | 41,380 |
| 35 | Purchasing Managers | $128,820 | $136,460 | 77,500 |
| 36 | Physician Assistants | $128,247 | $128,185 | 145,750 |
| 37 | Natural Sciences Managers | $128,228 | $139,122 | 91,710 |
| 38 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $127,853 | $133,538 | 28,930 |
| 39 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $127,578 | $143,071 | 12,180 |
| 40 | Petroleum Engineers | $127,162 | $133,522 | 19,810 |
| 41 | Human Resources Managers | $127,130 | $139,709 | 200,580 |
| 42 | Nurse Midwives | $126,766 | $125,000 | 6,440 |
| 43 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $126,762 | $138,612 | 17,040 |
| 44 | Lawyers | $126,734 | $150,323 | 729,090 |
| 45 | Nuclear Engineers | $126,302 | $126,567 | 10,360 |
| 46 | Nurse Practitioners | $125,602 | $127,270 | 268,240 |
| 47 | Database Architects | $125,122 | $127,109 | 59,640 |
| 48 | Air Traffic Controllers | $123,723 | $122,656 | 21,630 |
| 49 | Astronomers | $123,403 | $123,368 | 1,760 |
| 50 | Managers, All Other | $122,725 | $132,223 | 528,230 |
Color-coded by average median salary across all occupations. Darker green = higher pay. Click any state for detailed salary statistics.
The average American salary in 2024 is $65,002 per year (median across all occupations tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
The highest-paying job nationally is Nurse Anesthetists with a median salary of $210,398 — that's $145,396 above the national average.
District of Columbia has the highest average salary ($81,932), while Mississippi has the lowest ($51,323).
Our database covers 825 occupations across all 50 states, representing over 150,662,230 workers.
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All salary figures are based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 estimates. Median salary is used as the primary metric because it better represents typical earnings and is less skewed by outliers than mean salary. State averages are computed as the mean of all occupation medians within each state.
For full methodology details, see our Methodology page. View all Data Sources.